III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 234 

Relative to the death of William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United 

States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 

Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. REID, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. ALLARD, Mr. 

ALLEN, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. BAYH, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. BOND, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. BUNNING, Mr. 

BURNS, Mr. BURR, Mr. BYRD, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARPER, Mr. 

CHAFEE, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. COBURN, Mr. COCHRAN, 

Mr. COLEMAN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CONRAD, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CORZINE, 

Mr. CRAIG, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DAYTON, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. 

DODD, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. DOMENICI, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. ENZI, 

Mr. FEINGOLD, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. 

GREGG, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. HATCH, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. 

KENNEDY, Mr. KERRY, Mr. KOHL, Mr. KYL, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. LOTT, Mr. 

LUGAR, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. MCCAIN, Ms. MIKULSKI, Ms. MURKOWSKI, 

Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. 

OBAMA, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. REED, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. 

SALAZAR, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. SESSIONS, 

Mr. SHELBY, Mr. SMITH, Ms. SNOWE, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. STEVENS, 

Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. TALENT, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. THUNE, Mr. VITTER, Mr. 

VOINOVICH, Mr. WARNER, and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Relative to the death of William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice 

of the United States. 
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•SRES 234 ATS

Whereas William H. Rehnquist, the late Chief Justice of the 

United States, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to William Benjamin Rehnquist and Margery Peck Rehnquist 

and raised in Shorewood, Wisconsin; 

Whereas a young William H. Rehnquist served our Nation 

during the Second World War in the United States Army 

Air Force at home and abroad from 1943 to 1946; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist enrolled in Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in 

political science and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist earned a second master’s degree in government from Harvard University; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist graduated first in a very impressive class, including his future Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor, from Stanford University’s School of Law; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist began his legal career by 

serving as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Robert 

Jackson; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist married the late Natalie Cornell, and they raised three children, James, Janet, and 

Nancy; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was an accomplished attorney, having practiced law for 16 years in Phoenix, Arizona; 

Whereas President Richard Nixon selected William H. 

Rehnquist to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the 

Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice; 
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•SRES 234 ATS

Whereas President Richard Nixon also nominated William H. 

Rehnquist to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States; 

Whereas President Ronald Reagan nominated William H. 

Rehnquist to serve as the sixteenth Chief Justice of the 

United States; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist had a profound love for history and respect for the arts and served as Chancellor of 

the Smithsonian Institution for 19 years; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was a skilled writer and avid 

historian and authored several books on Supreme Court 

history and the American legal system; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was a man of enormous intellect and great common sense, a combination that was reflected in the clarity of his opinions; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist’s record illustrates his unwavering commitment to judicial restraint, judicial independence, and the rule of law; 

Whereas, under his firm leadership and superb managerial 

skills, William H. Rehnquist efficiently managed the Supreme Court of the United States for 19 years; 

Whereas leaders of both political parties agree that William 

H. Rehnquist served with honor and integrity in his role 

as the second Chief Justice of the United States to preside over a presidential impeachment trial, respecting the 

institutional domain of the Senate and its processes, procedures, and traditions; 

Whereas, as the leader of the Supreme Court, William H. 

Rehnquist was highly regarded by all of his colleagues, 

including those with differing judicial philosophies; 
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•SRES 234 ATS

Whereas his former colleagues have described William H. 

Rehnquist as a ‘‘splendid administrator’’, ‘‘the most efficient manager’’, ‘‘a great Chief Justice’’, ‘‘meticulously 

fair’’, and the ‘‘most all-around successful’’ Chief Justice; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist served with distinction on the 

Supreme Court of the United States for over 14 years as 

an Associate Justice and 19 years as the Chief Justice, 

more than 33 years in all; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was the fourth longest serving 

Chief Justice of the United States; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was one of our Nation’s most 

influential and memorable Chief Justices; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist was the embodiment of the 

ideal qualities of a judge, fair, impartial, open minded, 

and above all committed to the Constitution and the rule 

of law; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist will be remembered as one of 

the greatest Chief Justices of the United States; 

Whereas William H. Rehnquist passed away on September 3, 

2005, surrounded by his loving family; and 

Whereas our Nation is deeply indebted to William H. 

Rehnquist, a truly distinguished American: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family and 

3 friends of William H. Rehnquist; 

4 (2) acknowledges William H. Rehnquist’s lifelong 

5 service to the United States of America as a World War 

6 II veteran, a talented attorney, a dedicated public servant, 
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•SRES 234 ATS

1 a brilliant jurist, and one of our Nation’s greatest Chief 

2 Justices; and 

3 (3) commends William H. Rehnquist for his 33 year 

4 tenure on the Supreme Court of the United States and 

5 his many accomplishments as Chief Justice of the United 

6 States. 

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